Dennis Tubbs with the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission joined John Shumway to discuss what you need to know for trout opening day and what affect the harsh winter may have had on trout supply.

Some want to know if there is a grace period where fishermen don’t need a license; Tubbs says this isn’t the case. He adds, “You have to have a license,” if you are 16 or older.

What is the residual effect of the harsh winter if any on opening day?

Tubbs says it’s normal, if not beneficial.

“The cold weather and the higher water is beneficial to the fish because some of our stockings were delayed,” says Tubbs. He adds the higher water allows the fish to “travel to different spots.”

The goal is to catch as much trout as possible so what do you use?

“A lot of people are using the power bait; it’s the doughy stuff you stick on your hook,” he said.

He adds worms and live minnows are also popular bait.

Tubbs says with the colder water at the beginning of the season you may not get as many fish biting as you would later in the season when it gets warmer. He adds that different fish have different ideal temperatures they like to be in and, “that’s what’s great about fishing around [Pennsylvania], there’s something that’s going to be real active.”

Tubbs reminds fishers that if you are 16 and over you have to have a license and this year they are offering a volunteer license. It’s for children 15 and under.

“It’s just $2 [and] some of the kids actually want their license to be like mom or dads,” he said.

He says the $2 goes to youth education programs the Fish and Boat Commission have.

2014 Trout Season About To Kick Off

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